Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Boxers, Briefs and Books
That's the headline introducing a Sunday column in the New York Times penned by novelist and former Oxford resident John Grisham. Read it and opine here. What are your impressions (type your own reaction in no less than three sentences)? What can budding student journalists take away from his words? Your response here is due by the start of class Friday, 10 Sept.
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John Grisham has certainly had a storied life that made him the writer he is today. He never gave up on his dreams, despite the fact that they were less dream like when actually experienced. He proved that the path you take may have off ramps that lead to bigger, better, more fulfilling things. As students, and humans in general, the future can at times seem bleak, but it just takes one word or one action to give us inspiration and lead us somewhere we wouldn't have imagined in our wildest dreams. We must keep our eyes, ears and hearts open so we can experience new opportunities. These opportunities might just lead is to a passion never experienced before, like writing did for John Grisham.
ReplyDeleteIt hadn't occurred to me before reading this article that the great novelist, John Grisham might not of been a great novelist since birth. Upon reading the article I then understood that Grisham was open to several different experiences which lead him to discover his passion for writing. In being open to new experiences he was presented with the inspiration to write inside of an opportunity that had little to do with writing. By accepting that your true passion may not jump out at you exactly when you think it should, leads to the understanding that some opportunities are just around the corner and they are always knocking. Finding my own place or passion is something that I struggle with, so I find it reassuring to know that such a successful author stumbled upon writing. Student journalists should always be prepared for doors to open to unexpected moments, and that these doors of opportunity could lead us down paths we never would have gone down otherwise. Along those paths we may encounter people or things we have never experienced before which could turn into inspiration for us to use as student journalists.
ReplyDeleteI think "A Time to Kill" was a great story. This shows people that no matter what your destiny looks like, can overcome obstacles. He did a lot of hard work before he started writing and I think its interesting that he did so much manual labor and managed to still have an imagination.He seems like a tell it how it is guy. Nice Article
ReplyDeleteI've always been one to believe people, including myself, should know exactly what they want to do in life, have a plan, and stick to it! However, after reading Grisham's article, it makes me think about my theory a little more in depth. Student journalists should take his words as a life-long lesson. Never be afraid of the unknown or the road less traveled. After all, as John Grisham learned, somewhere you don't want to be, can lead you exactly where you need to be.
ReplyDeleteStudent journalists can definitely relate to John Grisham in this article. Grisham found his true passion through trial and error; however, being a writer was not something he had aspired to be his entire life. He wasn’t afraid of the unknown, and found his passion. As journalism majors, I think that we are definitely going into the unknown; reporting the news is what we love to do. However, it can be a tough and competitive field. There is no guarantee that we will be working for the New York Times or CNN. Like Grisham, student journalists are taking a chance in the unknown.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this article about John Grisham's struggle to find a career that he loves. Many students can relate to this article because there are plenty of us out there that have no clue what we want to do with our life. Some people come to college knowing exactly what they want to do, others, like Grisham, do not find out until there are out of school and working at a job they are not passionate about. I feel that the moral of this story is go after what you like to do, it will eventually pay off in the end.
ReplyDeleteI throughly enjoyed the Grisham atricle, and I believe college students pursuing degrees in multiple majors can take gain valuable advice from it. The fact that Grisham came from a humble background, and didn't have his career path determined when he was our age is comforting. It encourages students to try out variety of careers, however, just because you're passionate about it doesn't mean it will be a cakewalk. Hardwork, determination, and effort are key in suceeding too!
ReplyDeleteJohn Grisham's story is one of the main reason I think it is perfectly fine for freshman to come to college with a completely open mind for what they want their major to be. Your future is a process of trial and error. Students need to try out different things, such a Grisham did, to figure out what they love to do. Grisham is a great role model for students who do not know exactly what they want to do. It gives students an image of someone who tried all sorts of professions and eventually became a very successful writer. I feel Grisham's story helps students to not give up on finding that profession that is just for them; for students to put forth all their effort and determination in finding exactly what they love even if it is not the first few options they consider. All around I thoroughly enjoyed this article and think Grisham is an outstanding role model for students.
ReplyDeleteBoxers, Briefs, and Books, by John Grisham is an amusing opinion piece about his journey to becoming a writer. His passage to a career in writing is mine backwards. I started out as a young adult knowing when I was old enough I would pursue a career in writing. So I practiced everyday, I entered contest, and attended workshops. By the time I got to college I had worked myself through so many writing fields such as poetry, creative story writing, and finally journalism. I now find myself second guessing everything I write. And, now I’m wondering if climbing the corporate leader might be easier than writing everyday. I believe all writers (future journalists) can relate to when Grishman said, “I had never worked so hard in my life, nor imagined that writing could be such an effort.” Anyone who considers journalism as a job that any person can just pick up pen and do has clearly never really taken the time to sit and really write a creditable piece. It can be the hardest thing in the world to put your everything into a piece and have someone tell you it’s not good enough.
ReplyDeleteJohn Grisham has had an absolutely fascinating literary career and is very well known. His books have been turned into movies and he is a star to the state of Mississippi. His article, Boxers, Briefs, and Books does a good job of pointing out that everyone has to start somewhere. He learned the value of hard work and he learned that he did not care for it so much. The lessons he learned from his physical work led him to choose to get a college education and aspire to become a lawyer. He realized how difficult that part of law was and looked for a different avenue in. He seemed to change his mind a lot but always had a goal to attain. Having no public offender in his county intrigued him and he strove to learn about the judicial system. All of his experiences have lent him a hand in his writing career. He has seen the nitty-gritty, every day life of the average man, and he has become a respected citizen of our nation. What he has done is very admirable. Not only students, but everyone with a dream could look up to him.
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